Firstoff, I have searched through the forum, but haven't seen any discussions that really address this issue - if you know a thread that answers this, please point me at it. Thanks.

I am slowly putting together my HT/Music system for our new house and would like some feedback on sub selection.

This is my first effort to delve into multi-channels and subs. In the previous house, I had a separate music setup in a medium sized (16x13) room with a homebuilt pair of Vifa 2-ways that fit the space well. The TV (in another room) used an older pair of Advent speakers just to make it sound a little better.

With the new house, that's all changed. Now the TV and the main listening system will be merged. They sit in a fairly large open space. The "Great Room" is 28x16, but has a cathedral ceiling that peaks around 24 feet. In addition, the floor plan is completely open so that one long side of the room opens into the kitchen and entry area on the first floor and a 12x24 loft space on the second. The listening/watching position is about 12-16 feet from the screen, which is located on one of the short walls. The subs will probably be located near/on this wall.

So right now I'm in the process of figuring out how much subwoofer I will need for the installation. I know the old adage that "too much is never bad", but there is a significant SAF aspect here, both visual as well as monetary. In addition, l really don't feel a compelling need to rattle all the windows in the house, I would just like something to cleanly fill in the bottom few octaves, when sitting at the listening position. Usage will be split evenly between HT and Music.

For my first pass, I was thinking about going with two separate enclosures, probably sealed with one or two drivers in each. I was looking at a couple of the long throw 10-inch drivers over at Jack Hidley surplus website. Amplification will be external, probably 125 W/ch, although I can go higher. Budget is a big concern, so I'd like to keep the driver costs under $200-250. if possible.

The question I have for the group is a) is this going to be enough driver? b) enough power? c) thoughts on the enclosure?

Basically, given the limitations of a large space, where is the money best spent to provide sufficient coverage?

Musically, I really like the NHT sub I have. I too, have a completely open floor plan with a 17x29 great room, so I think our listening environments are similiar.

The NHT sw2p sub is a ported enclosure. I'd be tempted to follow that route and duplicate NHT's enclosure. The size of the sw2p has good SAF. (at least compared to some of my other projects....)

Personal guess, if you are going 100% DIY on this. Ping jack for crossover specs, build some foster 6.5/nht super tweeter tops, and a couple of the ported subs. (with subs in corners) You'd have the equivalent of my tv setup with super1's and SW2p's. My guess is that the tops/subs might integrate much better than with your existing vifa's.

This is a really good jazz setup, that does good on movies as well.
(The NHT subs can't hit 126, like my horn loaded sub... but then there's ZERO SAF for a sub that hits 126)

I really need to get an order to jack as well... Christmas is approaching, and what's better than the gift of great music.

Thanks for the feedback, guys. Right now WAF < 1.0, so I have to be creative.

I'm thinking ottoman/bench approach right now. That would necessitate a downward firing woofer. Is it still the common wisdom that the NHT 1259 based woofers should not be mounted in a downward configuration?

Thanks, I cheated. My wife & I went to various stores that have trunks, I knew the sizes that I was looking for, and she knew the style she wanted. We found this set of trunks in a clearance section of a furniture store.

They are made out of thin cheap plywood, so I built MDF (with all holes cut) enclosures that fit very tightly inside, and glued the MDF boxes inside. I then used a zip router to route out the thin plywood exterior. Mounted my drivers and viola, Subs with high WAF. I also used some clear silicone to make sure the handles didn't rattle.